PM to wear merino and jade to royal wedding

Wedding tourists flock to London

Relevant offers

Prime Minister John Key will be wearing a New Zealand take on stone-washed denim to the royal wedding.

Ground-down greenstone - or pounamu - has been washed into the European fabric for his suit which was made from fine merino wool from Marlborough.

''Minute jade particles washed into the woven fibre created a finished cloth smoother and softer than any high fashion wool garment made previously,'' said Marlborough farmer Richard Bell.

The look and feel of the greenstone-washed fabric encouraged European clothmaker Dormeuil to manufacture a new line of wool-jade cloth and sell it around the world.

Bell began work on the project two years ago, using his Haldon Range wool, after discussing the idea with jade sculptor Ian Boustridge of Greymouth.

''RJB Design of Auckland, has made the first suit from the cloth for the Prime Minister to wear to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton,'' he said.

Boustridge said the fibrous nature of the stone enabled it to lock into wool fibres and gave a distinctive feel to the cloth.

- NZPA